Do More Expensive Pens Really Write Better Than The Cheap Ones?

[alexander_k]

As several people have already noted, there are three key issues: the first is the reason why a pen is more expensive. If the higher price relates to investment in the parts that make a pen write, you may expect higher performance. The second is that we are talking about a variety of price ranges. There are very cheap pens (often with lots of quality control problems), more expensive affordable pens, lower and upper midrange, high end, luxury - you can devise as many ranges as you wish. In my experience, the best price-performance ratio is found in the lower but not lowest ranges: pens intended for serious, intensive users, i.e. pens with a good design and few if any frills (workhorse pens). Finally, your appreciation of a pen is to a large degree subjective and depends on a variety of factors from ergonomics to colour. In my opinion, this is also part of overall pen performance and has to be taken into account.

[redisburning]

there is more to writing than a nib.

 

is the feed adequate?

does the pen write with the wetness you want?

is the section shaped well?

is the pen too long/short?

does it post well or not, and do you care?

is the pen adequately weighted? balanced?

 

I see a lot of missing the forest for the trees. Does a pen write well? is a fine question, so why the focus on the nib? Youre free to zoom in on a microscopic level, but that says little about whether or not a pen is worth owning and using in my opinion.

 

Im guessing most of you drive econoboxes or minivans, or maybe take the bus. I operate a little differently, I buy what I want if I can afford it, or go without.

[dnayakan]

Let me change the questions a little. Do expensive watches keep that much better time than inexpensive watches? Do expensive camera lenses take that much better pictures than inexpensive ones? And on and on....

 

There are some attributes that are core attributes. Don't get those right and you can't compete in the market. A watch has to tell time reasonably well. A lens must form a reasonably decent picture. A pen has to write reasonably well. But pretty soon everyone can get that reasonably right and they try differentiating on other attributes - aesthetics, history or myth, land of origin. And there are meaningful differences there, of course but it also results in everything eventually become objects of fetish.

 

A couple of caveats. This overall evaluation on one dimension is a bit of a lowest common denominator. What is writing quality? A good flex nib has a different writing quality from a good italic or from a regular M nib. In other words, you could seek out different writing qualities consciously - or putting it differently, any attribute can be broken down into other attributes of difference. A bit like - this camera lens is good for sharpness, this one is good at how it renders highlights etc etc. And this is where I tend to penalize modern makers. They have concentrated on variety in aesthetics at the expense of variety in writing quality. The writing experience from most modern nibs is a fairly standard, bland one. At least compared to what some regard as the golden age of fountain pens. But that may reflect market realities - if most people are expecting a middle-of-the-road, low maintenance, little-skill-required writing experience a' la the ballpoint pen, I suppose that is what the manufacturers will churn out.

 

Cheers, DJ

[Blade Runner]

there is more to writing than a nib.

 

is the feed adequate?

does the pen write with the wetness you want?

is the section shaped well?

is the pen too long/short?

does it post well or not, and do you care?

is the pen adequately weighted? balanced?

 

+1

 

Also some brands' nibs do feel different than others - heavier metal thickness can yield a different feel than a very thin nib, feedback (I prefer some feedback over slippery smooth), stubbish quality of a brand's broader nibs versus broad nibs with no line variation. And aesthetics, including fit and finish, is very important. I'll choose a beautiful looking and writing pen over pen that simply puts down a decent line but looks boring.

Edited April 9, 2011 by Blade Runner

[tonybelding]

The manufacture of quality nibs is something that's been pretty well perfected by now. Even cheap pens can have good nibs because it just doesn't cost that much to make a good nib these days.

 

There are still a few pen makers that are known for their nibs, and their specialty nibs in particular. Sailor would be an example. But that's an exception. For the most part, the way a nib writes isn't where you'll find the difference between cheaper pens and expensive pens.

 

 

I'm kinda bummed because I want to want a more expensive aka quality writing pen but if I can be satisfied with really cheap/disposables than I guess that is a good thing...right? What's your experience?

 

Sounds like cognitive dissonance? You feel a need to justify wanting something nicer? Or you feel a need to justify not wanting something nicer?

 

I get satisfaction out of handling and using my nicer pens. I like their look, their heft. I enjoy fiddling around with them. But if you don't. . . Well, that's OK too. We aren't going to throw you out of here. Don't worry about making excuses for what you like or don't like! It's all good.

[Joe in Seattle]

No.

 

I recently compared 2 icons in a post under writing instruments: a Duofold and a Montblanc. After several paragraphs of musing I concluded that mw TWSBI wrote as well, really better, than either of them.

 

That said, I really LOVE and enjoy all 3!

 

That's part of the fun of our hobby. You can enjoy it as much wiyh 3 cheap pens and a couple of bottles of Waterman ink as you can with a fistfull of Montblanc Writers Editions and POA's!

 

I enjoy: vintage, school pens, and user grade just as much as I do the two or three flagship writers I happen to own.

 

I started out with Esterbrooks and early Pelikans as school pens. There is still lots of fun to be had with them. I bless Speedy, Nathan, and the two Brians for their products and the youthful enthusiasm they bring to this hobby. It is truly a hobby of equal opportunity.

 

Write on!

[PenFan95]

It's true that you only pay for aesthetics after a price point ($40 or so) but these differing qualities are what make the feel of each pen unique. That's what makes a variety of them- utility pens, display pens, green pens, red pens, cheap pens, expensive pens, metal pens, plastic pens...each price point gives a different filling system, a better-looking pen that makes you want to write...just because it's beautiful. It's my analogy, but it may fit some people.

[Albertine]

You know, I think the answer to this question might be, "Yes, more expensive pens do write better, but the increase in price does not scale at the same rate as the improvement in writing quality."

 

All $30 pens do not write equally well. All $300 pens do not write equally well. Some $30 write as well as some $300 pens. But most $300 pens write as well as or better than most $30 pens.

[PenFan95]

You know, I think the answer to this question might be, "Yes, more expensive pens do write better, but the increase in price does not scale at the same rate as the improvement in writing quality."

 

All $30 pens do not write equally well. All $300 pens do not write equally well. Some $30 write as well as some $300 pens. But most $300 pens write as well as or better than most $30 pens.

 

Nice analogy...

[cubic archon]

It's less a question of whether $300 pens write better than $30 pens, but more of whether $300 pens write better than $100 pens. There are a lot more in the former category than the latter, I think. The range where the OP starts to consider things "expensive" is about the range where I start thinking that writing experience will not get any better, and that however much you spend after that you could get just as nice a writer for less, whatever your criteria. I can't say that for the $100-200 range though; most of my favourite writing pens seem to be in that price range and I've not found cheaper equivalents, the Lamy 2000 being a good example.

 

Not that there aren't other, perfectly valid, reasons for spending more than that for a pen.

[Rafal]

No

[PenFan95]

It's less a question of whether $300 pens write better than $30 pens, but more of whether $300 pens write better than $100 pens. There are a lot more in the former category than the latter, I think. The range where the OP starts to consider things "expensive" is about the range where I start thinking that writing experience will not get any better, and that however much you spend after that you could get just as nice a writer for less, whatever your criteria. I can't say that for the $100-200 range though; most of my favourite writing pens seem to be in that price range and I've not found cheaper equivalents, the Lamy 2000 being a good example.

 

Not that there aren't other, perfectly valid, reasons for spending more than that for a pen.

 

Well, I agree that only cap and barrel get decorated.

[Thornton]

Yes and no. My Pelikan M215 writes better than my Visconti Wall Street LE; but, my Montblanc 149 writes better than my Lamy Safari. It just depends on the manufacturer, nib, feed, etc. Some are better than others regardless of price.

[redisburning]

Do expensive camera lenses take that much better pictures than inexpensive ones?

 

yes.

 

no canons or nikons allowed in my house, thank you.

[RMN]

Yes.

 

On average, and up to a point.

 

I agree with Albertine

 

 

As a teenager I got my granddads FP, a Waterman. Lever filler. Loved it, wrote with it most years I was in grammarschool. But in university FPs were not handy during chemistry practice and such.

 

After some years I bought a cheap FP again. and another, and another. Those were cheap Parkers and Watermans. They wrote. But not well. So I abandoned FPs again. Until years later my then fiancee gave me a Waterman Charleston. Ahhhh, that was writing again. And then I started buying some GOOD FPs. Yes, not all of them write well right away. But after some tinkering, they do write well.

And I also bought some cheaper pens lately. They write. Some even tolerably well.

 

So yes, a more expensive pen writes better than a really cheap one.

 

But at some level that stops. An LE version of a pen does not write better. The special versions studded with diamonds do not write better, some even worse than the regular range. Some highly expensive pens are so awkward to hold they should not be called pens.

 

It also depends on the brand. The nibs on some brands are the same for all pens. The various models are largere or smaller, heaviere or lighter, have resin or metal, and ofcourse that does influence the writing abilities. But the "motor" the nib stays the same. So the cheapest pen in the range with that nib writes in the same category as the more expensive ones.

 

And yes, some brands just let you pay dearly for their name. (Mont Blanc, etc)

And yes, cheaper pens are often better buck for the money.

But my Waterman Edsons are definitely better writers than my Carenes (and the Carene is a GOOD pen) but is that BETTER worth all that extra money? As I still can afford it: yes to me. But I will never say to someone he would better save another two years or so to get the Edson.

But I might say to a person wanting to buy, say a Parker Urban: do yourself a favor and save for a few months and get a nice Waterman Charleston.

 

 

D.ick

[jagleaso]

"Yes and no."

[georges zaslavsky]

Not necessarily, but I would rather get a nice old vintage pen that works well over a plain jane and middle of the range pen. A great nib and great filling system make the whole difference.

[pvector]

lol lets face it, when it comes down to writing, making a small notation, or jotting down a number, any pen will do, even a bic crystal pen will do it. The only reasons we pay for more expensive pens is because we want something "better", something fancy, or something nice.

[bluemagister]

My Waterman Phileas, my Platinum Carbon Desk Pen and my Lanbitou Mini write smoother than many of the $300 pens I've tried. The main thing is to check the nib and see if the tipping material is nice and round. Lamy nibs are angular and can get scratchy...

 

My Platinum #1776, Pilot VP and Waterman Charleston are all excellent pens, but if all I had was a Phileas, I'd be perfectly content. I even managed to score one and have it engraved with my upcoming title (PhD) to give myself in advance.

[VillersCotterets]

Luxury is not the category above the top-of-the-range: luxury and upper range are not on the same trajectory. They don't obey to the same logic. After some point, the buyer is not paying for an increase of performance but for intangible qualities like timelessness, genuineness, exclusivity... and for the right to belong to an elite group of true believers custodian of those ideals. Go see the websites of luxury pens makers like Mont Blanc. Those websites are not there to sell, but to make you understand, to share the mystery, the spirit of the brand, of the objects, and the time embodied in each object. You won't see any advertised price. The ideals embodied in luxury brands are literally priceless.

 

Compare :

http://stories.montb...eisterstuck149/

http://www.montblanc...products/26.php

VS

http://www.sailor.co...PORT/index.html

VS

http://www.campomarziodesign.it/

 

 

http://img864.imageshack.us/img864/349/tri.png

Edited April 10, 2011 by ENCPWX1o46y46